The I.L.A.A. - Membership and Insurance

The I.L.A.A. is for longbow archers. It seeks to lower the threshold of entry into the sport of longbow archery and to assist the safe organisation of insured traditional longbow shooting.

The Association covers all the aiming and ranging traditions of the longbow as practised into the 16th Century, from which the present traditions are derived.

It seeks to inform archers and other interested parties of their history and of requisite best practise. It encourages historic research into the traditional forms of shooting in all countries where it took place as a form of training and/or in battle.

The Association's members are insured for all the aiming and ranging traditions of the longbow and for all weights and sections of the longbow.

The I.L.A.A. makes its logo and its medals available to like-minded Companies of archers and shoots which support its standards.

The I.L.A.A. - Insurance and Archery

Stay within the Mainstream National Archery structure and stay insured
Archery is de-facto a low risk sport.

The longbow has a lower velocity than other bows; no claims have been made over the past 50 years. As a result of its remarkable antecedents the longbow has the widest range of shooting traditions. Although these are collectively catered for by most archery associations, only one the I.L.A.A. caters for all traditions AND all types of longbow.

The mainstream archery associations for the longbow in the United Kingdom are as follows.

G.N.A.S.

The Grand National Archery Society or Archery UK; insures all members and affiliated clubs for one and two-way target and clout shooting. This is its main remit, but it is a considerable one. It takes all bows-types through all levels of competition to International events and the Olympics. With the growth of field archery it has established a sister organisation in that domain. The G.N.A.S. has a comprehensive set of rules. Its works closely with F.I.T.A. (Federation Internationale de Tir a l'Arc) representing all UK archery.
It is however not longbow specific and does not cover all longbow aiming and ranging traditions.

N.F.A.S.

The National Field Archery Society; insures all members at shoots that have been entered in its calendar. Deliberately UK domestic the N.F.A.S. has no International remit nor insurance remit. Nevertheless, its particular type of archery is at one and the same time popular as well as potentially higher risk. The N.F.A.S. no longer insures shooting at the (roving) Marks, but limits its insurance strictly to field-archery.
Again, it is not longbow specific and does not cover all longbow aiming and ranging traditions.

I.L.A.A.

The International Longbow Archers Association; insures specifically longbow - all weights, sections AND all the longbow aiming and ranging traditions. The I.L.A.A. seeks to lower the threshold of entry into safe insured longbow archery. It is the globally the only organisation to have an engineering definition of the longbow which underlines its approach to safety and inclusivity. The I.L.A.A. has an International remit with shoots both in the UK and abroad. click on Membership

B.L.B.S.

The British Longbow Society; insures specifically light-weight "D" section longbows and covers only the traditions of two-way target and clout shooting, provided these are for medals and entered in its calendar published yearly. The organisation is essentially UK domestic.

E.F.A.A.

The English Field Archery Association; insures all members at shoots entered in its calendar. Its International remit for postal competitions runs via the I.F.A.A.. Its particular type of archery is popular as well as potentially higher risk. However the E.F.A.A. has a well drafted Constitution and good approach to safety. The E.F.A.A. limits its insurance strictly to field-archery.
It is not longbow specific and does not cover all longbow aiming and ranging traditions.

S.P.T.A.

The Society for the Preservation of Traditional Archery; insures traditional hand-made bows of all kinds in a variety of traditions including horse-archery. The Society is small but does have an International remit. It is managed by a small number of very knowledgeable and dedicated bowyers and archers.
It is not longbow specific and does not cover all longbow aiming and ranging traditions.

D.I.Y. Do it yourself insurance: it is expensive, may not cover all forms of archery; most Organizers will refuse it.
All this means that insurance coverage in the UK is wide, but not uniform as it is in most Continental European Countries.
For non-UK archers it is therefore important to make sure a given UK shoot remains within the mainstream UK Archery structure above. That way the non-UK archer is included in its insurance cover on a reciprocal basis with the cover of their own association.

A UK archer who has taken out a club specific insurance and relies on that (non mainstream archery insurance), will not be covered at any shoot outside that particular club. On their part careful organisers should accept only Mainstream Archery Insurance at their events.

Better safe than sorry. UK organizers should always make sure their events are within and recognized by the main Archery associations outlined above. Those that visit UK archery events should make sure this is so. Caveat Emptor !

Note; as insurance policies vary with the commercial market for insurance, it is recommended that the reader checks the current state of cover offered by all insurance policies/archery associations discussed above.

Contact

Management of the I.L.A.A. is vested in a 5 member Management Committee:

The Committee receive additional support from Shooting Representatives and those specialised in Risk Assessment. Each support the variety of Longbow aiming and ranging traditions encompassed by the I.L.A.A.

To contact the Shooting Representative, or Management Committee member appropriate to your enquiry, please leave a message and we shall contact you as soon as possible.